Summit-based nonprofit organization Home for Good Dog Rescue celebrated its milestone 4,000th adoption on Nov. 28 as part of a special two-day event hosted at its offices in Berkeley Heights, NJ.
At a mere 13-weeks-old, Stella, a former stray Labrador Retriever mix from Swainsboro, GA and the sole survivor of her litter, found her forever home that morning amid enthusiastic applause from the organization’s volunteers, staff, and fosters.
“It’s amazing how far we have come in just five short years,” Rich Errico, Home for Good’s co-founder and treasurer, said. “Our operation started out of somebody’s living room in 2010, and we would not have been able to grow so much in such a short time without the support of our local community.”
Home for Good’s staff surprised the Perrone family of Madison, NJ by announcing that they and Stella marked the latest major benchmark in the organization’s five-year history. And following a round of applause, the team popped open a bottle of champagne to truly begin the celebration.
“Every dog we save reminds us why we do what we do,” Home for Good Dog Rescue’s Public Relations and Social Media Coordinator Matt Holowienka said. “It’s wonderful to see Stella go home with such a wonderful family, and everything truly seemed to align to make this moment possible.”
After visiting the first part of the adoption event on Nov. 27, the Perrone family fell in love with Stella and hastily filled out an application for adoption. And although they worried she would find another home as they waited for approval, she was still eagerly waiting when they returned Saturday morning.
“I was here for the 1000th adoption,” Foster Coordinator Susan Strell said. “That we have placed so many dogs not only in permanent homes but in foster homes is more success than we could have ever imagined.”
The 100-percent foster-based Home for Good (above) Members of the Perrone family react with surprise upon being informed they are adoption number 4,000. Dog Rescue transports dogs from high-kill shelters throughout South Carolina and Georgia to New Jersey in search of their forever homes. It has been only one year since it celebrated its milestone 3,000th adoption in 2014.
“We’re only going to keep growing from here, and it’s wonderful that so many people have gotten involved in our mission,” Errico remarked. Home for Good’s next endeavor is the construction of the ALMOST HOME Wellness Center in Aiken, S.C. This specialized facility will allow the organization to rescue even more dogs by providing a safe place of recovery and rest for dogs either too young or too sick to make the journey north.
For more information on Home for Good Dog Rescue or to support the capital campaign for the ALMOST HOME Wellness Center, visit www.HomeforGoodDogs.org.
(above) Members of the Perrone family react with surprise upon being informed they are adoption number 4,000.
(above) Stella, a Labrador Retriever mix, was living as a stray in Swainsboro, GA. She was the sole survivor of her litter
(above) Enrico and Keri Perrone of Madison became the latest benchmark adopters in Home for Good Dog Rescue’s five-year history.
(above) A longtime volunteer gives the Perrone family a special gift basket as they prepare to take Stella home as thanks for opting to adopt.
